It is well know to provide a pivotable support member pivotally secured to an upper end of the ladder as an integral ladder component. The pivotable support member is an integral component of many step ladders on the market today and is formed of wood or aluminum and serves to support small paint containers, tools and the like when pivoted into an operative position extending in a horizontal disposition. When the ladder is in storage, the support member can be pivoted to a substantially vertical disposition to occupy less space in storage. Such pivotable support members are pivotably secured to the ladder at main upstanding ladder structural members that support steps therebetween, and have no other load-bearing means capable of supporting substantial loads on the support member. Similarly, other workpiece support members or trays are available that can be attached to a ladder step to extend outwardly from the step at a pair of U-shaped clamps adapted to be positioned such that the legs of the U-shaped clamps are disposed above and below the ladder step, as the sole support for the load placed on the tray. Both the pivotable support members and removable support members described above suffer from the disadvantage that substantial loads placed upon them, particularly at substantial distances from the point of attachment to the ladder, cannot be supported sufficiently and are unstable, causing failure of the support members or insecure placement of tools or paint containers thereon. This unstable placement of paint containers, tools and the like has caused a number of tools and paint to be dropped and spilled from such support members causing substantial damage and injury.
The support member or tray of the present invention includes an adjustable load-bearing support bar or strut secured to the tray at a point spaced outwardly from the ladder, and securable to the ladder at a lower step or other lower ladder structure so that the tray can support substantial loads very stably. The tray of the present invention includes a number of other new and useful features for convenience in holding tools, paint containers, paint trays and rollers and the like that can be provided as a kit having interchangable parts for different purposes.